A coordinated and comprehensive volume of international research on this subject edited by members of the well-established European Early Childhood Education Research Association Outdoor Play and Learning SIG (OPAL).

Introduction - Tim Waller, Eva Ärlemalm-Hagsér, Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter, Libby Lee-Hammond, Kristi Lekies and Shirley Wyver
PART ONE: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS & CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES - SECTION EDITOR - SHIRLEY WYVER
Chapter 1: Theoretical Framework of Developmental Theories of Play - Olivia Saracho
Chapter 2: Affordance Theory in Outdoor Play - Jane Waters
Chapter 3: Technology and Outdoor Play: Concerns and Opportunities - Doris Bergen
Chapter 4: Outdoor Play in Recess Time - Robyn M Holmes & Kristen E Kohm
Chapter 5: Outdoor Play and Cognitive Development - Shirley Wyver
Chapter 6: Forest School for the Early Years in England - Sara Knight
PART TWO: CRITICAL REFLECTIONS ON POLICY & REGULATION - SECTION EDITOR - ELLEN HANSEN SANDSETER
Chapter 7: Risk and Safety in Outdoor Play - Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter, Helen Little, David Ball, David Eager and Mariana Brussoni
Chapter 8: The Evolution of Policy on Risk Management in Outdoor Play - Tim Gill
Chapter 9: Outdoor Play Spaces In Canada: As If Children Mattered - Susan Herrington, Sara Brunelle, Mariana Brussoni
Chapter 10: The Rise of Outdoor Play and Education Issues in Preschools in South Korea - Kwi-Ok Nah
Chapter 11: Outdoor Play in Latin American Early Childhood and Elementary Schools: A Review of the Literature - Pelusa Orellana & Maria Francisca Valenzuela
Chapter 12: How to Revitalize American Playgrounds - Susan Solomon
PART THREE: CHILDREN′S ENGAGEMENT WITH NATURE, SUSTAINABILITY & CHILDREN′S GEOGRAPHIES - SECTION EDITOR - EVA ARLEMALM-HAGSER
Chapter 13: Early Childhood Education for Sustainability. The Relationship Between Young Children’s Participation and Agency – Children and Nature - Eva Ärlemalm-Hagsér & Anette Sandberg
Chapter 14: Considering Children’s Opportunities for Exploration of Their Local Environment and Engagement with Nature - Sarah MacQuarrie, Clare Nugent
Chapter 15: Nature Preschools in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Norway: Characteristics and Differences - Olav Lysklett
Chapter 16: Places for Symbolic Play in Nature Environments - Eva Änggård
Chapter 17: Assessing Free Play Behavior in Urban Play Spaces - Antje Luchs
Chapter 18: Nature Pedagogy – An Exploration of the Storied Narratives Which Illustrate Its Application Across Spaces Inside, Outside And Beyond - Claire Warden
Chapter 19: An Australian Perspective: Seeking Sustainability in Early Childhood Outdoor Playspaces - Sue Elliott
PART FOUR: DIVERSE CONTEXTS & INCLUSION IN CHILDREN′S OUTDOOR PLAY ENVIRONMENTS - SECTION EDITOR - LIBBY LEE-HAMMOND
Chapter 20: Belonging in Nature: Spirituality, Indigenous Cultures and Biophilia - Libby Lee-Hammond
Chapter 21: Along Paths of Movement: Sámi Children and Early Childhood Student Teachers as Wayfarers - Ylva Jannok Nutti
Chapter 22: Gender Issues in Outdoor Play - Feyza Tantekin Erden, Zisan Guner Alpaslan
Chapter 23: Outdoor play and Learning in the Landscape of Children’s Rights - Theresa Casey
Chapter 24: Multilingual Development and Outdoor Play - Georgianna Duarte, Greta Freeman
Chapter 25: Thinking with Land/Working with Elders: Accessing Indigenous Knowledges in Early Childhood Education Through Outdoor Experiences - Mary Caroline Rowan
Chapter 26: "Men and Women in Outdoor Play – The Gender Perspective" - Bernhard Koch, Kari Emilsen
PART FIVE: METHODOLOGIES FOR RESEARCHING OUTDOOR PLAY & LEARNING - SECTION EDITOR - TIM WALLER
Chapter 27: Participatory Research with Very Young Children - Angeliki Bitou, Tim Waller
Chapter 28: Developing the Pedagogic Method Narrative Journey - Philip Waters
Chapter 29: Take Two: Using Video as an Analysis Tool for Outdoor Play - Natalie Canning
Chapter 30: The Importance of Randomised Control Trials as an Evidence Base - Shirley Wyver
Chapter 31: Indigenous Methodologies in Education Research: Case Study of Children’s Play in Solomon Islands - Libby Lee-Hammond, Yeshe Colliver
Chapter 32: “Naturalizar Educativamente”: The Chilean Quest for Introducing Outdoor Learning and Play in Early Childhood Education - Josefina Prieto
Chapter 33: Indigenising Outdoor Play in New Zealand - Dr Amanda Bateman, Professor Margie Hohepa, Tim Bennet
PART SIX: LINKS BETWEEN RESEARCH & PRACTICE - SECTION EDITOR - KRISTI LEKIES
Chapter 34: Investigating Children’s Collecting Behavior Outdoors - Kristi Lekies, Thomas Beery, Jed Brensinger
Chapter 35: Enhancing the Outdoor Learning Spaces for Pre-Primary Classes in Western Ethiopia - Dr Valerie Huggins
Chapter 36: Outdoor Play and Learning in Preschools in South Africa - Judy Van Heerden, Marie Botha
Chapter 37: Early Childhood Teachers’ (Pre- and Compulsory School Teachers) Use of the Outdoor Environment in Children’s Learning About Living Beings - Kristín Norðdahl, Jóhanna Einarsdóttir and Gunnhildur Óskarsdóttir
Chapter 38: Storied Landscapes: Children’s Experiences and The ‘Sense’ of Place - Kari Jorgensen
Chapter 39: The Magic of Outdoor Play: A Phenomenological Hermeneutic Approach - Merete Lund Fasting
Chapter 40: What Children Are Learning During Outdoor Play Activities? Examining the Free Play Activities - Sachiko Kitano